Travels of an Australian Swami

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Monthly Archives: February 2016

Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura appeared in Jagannatha Puri on February 6th 1874 as the son of Srila Sacidananda Bhaktivinoda Thakura. In his childhood he quickly mastered the Vedas, memorised the Bhagavad-Gita, and relished his father’s philosophical works. He became known as “The Living Encyclopaedia” for his vast knowledge.

He preached convincingly against casteism and philosophical deviations from Gaudiya Vaisnavism. He tried to unite the four Vaisnava sampradayas by publishing their teachings. Srila Sarasvati Thakura earned the title Nrsimha Guru for his fearless and powerful delivery of the Vaisnava siddhanta.

Besides being a courageous preacher, he was ornamented with all divine qualities and full of ecstatic love of God. He established 64 Gaudiya Math temples in India and for some time centres in Burma, England and Germany.

Lord Nityananda appeared in the village of Ekachakra, in West Bengal, India, around 1474. In the Caitanya Caritamrita and other scriptures He is declared to be the avatar of Lord Balarama, the direct expansion of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Krishna.

Nityananda Prabhu, who is identical with Lord Balarama, the first expansion of Krishna, is considered to be the original guru for all of mankind. Thus, soon after their initial meeting, Lord Chaitanya Mahaprabhu tried to honour Nityananda Prabhu with a Vyasa-puja worship ceremony befitting a great spiritual master.

However, Nityananda Prabhu protested and grabbed all of the worship articles from Mahaprabhu and worshiped Him instead.

On the seventh day of the bright fortnight of the month of Magh, the great ocean of ecstasy swelled to its limits, being forcibly attracted by the moon of Advaita.

He appeared from the womb of Sri Nabhadevi as the moon appears in the autumn sky. His father, Sri Kuvera, Pandit floated in that ocean of joy.

The foremost of all the Vaisnavas who reside at Navadwip is Sri Advaita Acarya, whose virtuous presence has made all the worlds blessed. He is the most preeminent preceptor in all fields including knowledge, renunciation and devotion.

In explaining Krsna-bhakti he is like unto Lord Shankara himself, and whatever scriptures that exist within the three worlds he explains in the light of Krsna-bhakti.

The Canberra devotees were asked to participate in the capital’s multi-cultural festival that lasted three days and had hundreds of stalls set up in Civic Square.

On the first day there was a parade and the devotees were able to bring the Rathayatra cart from the Gold Coast and had the temple deities, Jagannatha, Baladeva and Subhadra devi ride majestically through the city streets

Raghunatha Dasa couldn’t live after Shri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu left this world. So, he came to Vrndavana to end his life by jumping off Govardhana Hill. Rupa and Sanatana Goswamis affectionately received him. They convinced him to live on and enlighten all the Vrajavasi Vaishnavas with Shriman Mahaprabhu’s Puri pastimes. For three hours a day on the banks of Radha-kunda he spoke about Shri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu.

Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu used to especially relish hearing the Gita Govinda as well as the works of Candidas, Vidyapati, Ramananda Ray and the Krsna-karnamrta by Bilvamangala Thakur.

Sri Gita Govinda is full of intimate pastimes of Sri Sri Radha Govinda and is therefore meant for those who have accumulated sufficient spiritual piety.

“For those who relish the remembrance of the pastimes of Sri Hari and who are always anxious to hear those transcendental divine narrations, these verses, sweet as honey, have been composed by Jayadeva with the blessings of Mother Sarasvati.”